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HD 6174

A communication from the Department of Transportation (see item 1596-2406 of Section 2 of Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2024) submitting the MassDOT Rail and Transit Division Regional Transit Authority Connectivity Grant Program annual report for fiscal year 2025

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

The bill allocates $10 million for FY25 RTA Connectivity Grants to improve inter-ruta connectivity, rider access, and geographic equity, with quarterly progress reporting.

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Bill Summary · HD 6174

Overview

Bill HD 6174 (Session 194th, Massachusetts) is a communication from MassDOT’s Rail and Transit Division submitting the FY 2025 Regional Transit Authority Connectivity Grant Program annual report. It relates to the implementation and status of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Connectivity Grants established in the FY25 state budget.

Purpose and intent

  • Provide a formal report on the MassDOT Rail & Transit Division’s administration of the FY25 RTA Connectivity Grant Program.
  • Demonstrate compliance with the Budget Act of 2025 (Section 4 of Chapter 6C, General Laws) requiring oversight and reporting of grants aimed at increasing connectivity between existing public transportation routes.

Key provisions and content

  • Funding framework: The FY25 state budget appropriated $10,000,000 in grants to RTAs to advance connectivity between existing routes, including connections between regional bus networks (RTAs) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) network.
  • Grant criteria established by MassDOT (as directed by the Budget Act):
    • Prioritize opportunities to increase ridership, increase total mileage covered per trip, reach low-income individuals, and ensure geographic equity.
    • Review and scoring criteria for applications include:
    • Service Plan (15 points): connectivity between authorities, likelihood of effectiveness, and implementation timelines.
    • Budget (5 points): cost reasonableness and eligibility.
    • Project Need (10 points): evidence of local/regional need (studies, rider requests, data).
    • Prioritization (15 points): impact on ridership, coverage, and equity/accessibility.
    • Evaluation (5 points): concrete plans to track ridership and service effectiveness.
    • Bonus Points (10 points): collaboration among multiple authorities, with full credit when all impacted authorities are partners.
    • Geographic equity considerations to ensure broad statewide distribution.
  • Award outcomes:
    • All 10 applications received funding, with 6 projects fully funded and 4 partially funded.
  • Data collection and reporting:
    • Grantees are required to submit quarterly reports with ridership data and progress updates.
  • Project summaries and status (as of reporting period):
    • The report lists 10 projects, including partners such as BRTA, PVTA, FRTA, GATRA, SRTA, MVRTA, MRT A, WRTA, MARC, Nantucket RT A, and others.
    • Examples of projects and status:
    • 413 LINK: Connects BRTA, PVTA, FRTA; pilot funded earlier; anticipated launch early 2026; total project cost $1,577,607.
    • Cape Ann Transit: Extended evening hours on Eastern Ave Route (Gloucester-Rockport MBTA connections); launched Aug 4, 2025; cost $406,624.
    • Brockton-Taunton-Fall River Connection: Fixed-route service; ongoing pilot; cost $1,575,160.
    • MART Emerson Hospital Shuttle: Initially piloted, later adjustments shifting to on-demand feeder service; cost $278,250.
    • 495 Connector, Frequency Connector, The 495 Connector, and other regional microtransit/express initiatives with various launch dates, partner authorities, and costs (ranging roughly from $278k to $1.76M).
    • One program (WAVE On-Demand Nantucket) is focused on off-season microtransit to serve low-income riders; cost $341,000.
    • Overall, the report documents progress, ridership counts, and developments for each project in Q1 FY26 (July–September 2025), including total one-way trips and notes on launches or expansions.

Who/what is affected

  • Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) across Massachusetts that received Connectivity Grants.
  • Riders using RTAs and MBTA connections, with anticipated impacts including improved inter-route connectivity, increased service frequency, expanded evening hours, and microtransit options in areas with previously limited access.
  • Communities and neighborhoods served by the funded projects, particularly those targeting low-income populations and geographic equity goals.
  • MassDOT and its Rail & Transit Division, which oversees grant allocation, monitoring, data collection, and reporting.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Authority and oversight: MassDOT administers the grants, establishes criteria, and evaluates applications according to statutory guidance.
  • Application and review: Ten applications reviewed against scoring criteria; geographic equity considerations applied during award decisions.
  • Funding awards: All ten projects funded (6 fully, 4 partially).
  • Reporting timeline:
    • Grantees must submit quarterly progress reports with ridership and performance data.
    • The FY25 report in question was prepared February 11, 2026, reflecting on FY25 activities and Q1 FY26 data (July–September 2025) for the listed projects.
  • Ongoing status: Several projects launched or continued in 2025, with some adjustments (e.g., service changes, onset of on-demand microtransit).

Bottom-line

The bill provides formal accountability for the FY25 RTA Connectivity Grant Program, documents the allocation of $10 million to support enhanced inter-ruta connectivity, outlines the evaluation framework used to select projects, and presents the status and early performance indicators of all funded initiatives. It emphasizes increasing ridership, expanding geographic reach, and improving access for low-income residents while requiring quarterly performance reporting from grantees.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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